Cork seal for bottle-stoppers and the like and method of making the same.



H. F. BUSGH. CORK SEAL FOR BOTTLE STOPPERS AND THE LIKE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME. APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1914. L 11., 8 T 3 6 Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

mmmmm WITNESSES INVENTOR HERMAN F. BUSCI-I, 01E MILLVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T ARMSTRONG C0 COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CORK SEAL FOR BOTTLE-STOPPERS AND THE LIKE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar, A, I915.

part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a section through a crown bottle stopper having one of my seals or washers applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the washer or seal on a larger scale, and Fig. 3 is a plan view showing a defective washer member.

In the manufacture of natural cork disks or washers for bottle stoppers and the like of the well known crown type, the usual method is to cut the disks or washers of full thickness from cork wood. In this operation, the waste is usually from eighty to ninety per cent; and a large percentage of this waste is due to the fact that many of the cut washers or disks are too imperfect or defective to admit of their use by reason of holes, cracks, or pits therein. In fact, with cork wood of a relatively inferior character it is frequently the case that the number of defective disks or washers cut therefrom will exceed the number of good washers obtained.

My invention is designed to provide a method in which this waste may be very greatly reduced, by utilizing the defective cuttings as well as the good cuttings in the manufacture of the finished seals or washers.

In the practice of my invention, the cork wood is cut in the same manner as heretofore, but instead of making the cuttings the full thickness of the finished seal or washer, they are cut to about one-half of the finished thickness. That'is to say, if the finished seal or washer is to be one-tenth of an inch in thickness, I make the cuttings about one-twentieth of an inch in thickness. The cuttings are then sorted in two difi'erent classes, the good cuttings being put in one class and the inferior or defective ones in a separate class. The finished seals or washers are then made by assembling or uniting one good cutting and one defective cutting by means of a suitable adhesive. This gives a finished washer which is capable of meeting all the requirements, since the defective or inferior portion thereof is thoroughly protected by the portion thereof of better quality, as well as by the interposed adhesive.

The assembling of the two portions of the washers is preferably carried out at the time, the Washers are inserted into the metal shell of the bottle crown or cap. This may be readily done by existing assembling machines such as are well known in the art, with slight modifications, consisting in the use of two cork feeders, one for each grade or class of cork cuttings, and the provision of additional adhesive supplying means. For instance, the interior of the metal shell 2 of the crown may be first supplied with adhesive, either in the form of the usual paper collet, or in any other desired form; an inferior cork disk 3 may then be fed into the shell inthe usual way. Additional adhesive 4 is then applied to the surface of this disk, either in the form of another adhesive paper collet, or otherwise; and a cork cutting 5 of the better quality then applied from another feeder, and the parts forced together by a plunger in the usual way. While this operation will slightly increase the cost of assembling the crowns, this increase in cost will be more than compensated for by the saving in cork material, since the practice of my invention will enable the production of about twice as many completed seals or washers from a given amount of cork wood ashas heretofore been possible. I prefer to unite the two disks or washers by means of an intermediate adhesive paper collet as a finished seal having this intermediate paper layer between its cork members possesses an important advantage. While that part of the finished seal which comes next to the liquid contents of the bottle is in all cases designed to be of first class cork material, free from holes, it may sometimes happen that a defective piece of cork we will be used. In such cases, the interposed paper collet acts effectively as a seal between the two cork members so that there can be no leakage entirely through the seal. Furthermore, when the seal is compressed upon the mouth of the bottle, the flexible intermediate paper layer will readily yield to the compression of the cork. The use of an means of an interposed layer of adhesive paper, substantially as described.

2. A new article of manufacture, consisting of a cork layer of high grade material, and another cork layer of inferior quality united to the firstnamed layer by an interposed layer of adhesive paper, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunt set my hand.

HERMAN F. BUSCH.

Witnesses G120. H. PARMELEE, H. M. CORWIN. 

